The present invention relates to cash registers in general and, more particularly, to an improved electronic cash register.
In recent years the ubiquitous electromechanical cash register has been replaced gradually with electronic cash registers. Typically, the electronic cash registers have duplicated the general mechanical structure of the electromechanical cash register while providing increased flexibility and functions through the use of electronic data manipulation and visual output display devices. The currently available electronic cash registers employ the mechanical cash drawer arrangement of conventional registers.
In conventional cash registers the cash drawer moves outwardly from the register housing upon the completion of a financial transaction. A removable cash till is positioned within the cash drawer and functions as an initial receptacle for cash received by the register operator. This mechanical arrangement can be viewed as a box (the cash till) within a box (the cash drawer) within a box (the housing of the register). Although the arrangement is functionally satisfactory, it is needlessly complex and expensive to implement.
It is accordingly a general object of the present invention to provide an improved electronic cash register.
It is a specific object of the invention to provide an electronic cash register which utilizes a simpler and less expensive mechanical implementation of the functions performed by the conventional cash register housing, cash drawer and cash till.
It is still another object of the invention to provide an electronic cash register which employs a single printed circuit board for the mounting and electrical interconnection of the register keyboard, signal processing circuits and visual output display devices.
It is a feature of the invention that the use of a single printed circuit board for the main electrical components of the cash register permits a desirable and compact shape factor for the register housing.
It is another feature of the invention that separate customer and operator visual displays can be incorporated in the register by means of the single printed circuit board.